Headliner mounted center high mount stop lamp (chmsl)

ABSTRACT

A console sliding armrest assembly for a vehicle includes a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egress of objects, and a console lid pivotally connected to the storage compartment. The lid may include a sliding armrest operatively engaged therewith. A guide assembly may be disposed within the lid for guiding the armrest, and may include a slider frame connected to the armrest. A guide plate may be connected to the lid for supporting the armrest, and a rail may be secured in the slider frame. The guide plate may be slidably engaged with the rail for allowing sliding movement of the armrest. A spring may be disposed between the slider frame and the rail, and may be engaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate, and for thereby regulating tension in the guide assembly.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of priority of Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/690,467, filed Jun. 14, 2005, hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

a. Field of Invention

The invention relates generally to consoles for motor vehicles and thelike, and more particularly to a motor vehicle center floor consoleincluding a securely guided sliding armrest having improved mechanicsfor facilitating the sliding operation and for minimizing cross-cardeflection of the armrest.

b. Description of Related Art

Motor vehicle consoles are well known in the art and generally include astorage compartment for the storage of objects and a console lid forcovering a storage compartment opening as well as for serving as anarmrest. Often, the armrest is located at a fixed intermediate positionmost suited for persons of average size. In some luxury automobileshowever, the armrest may be designed to slide in the vehicle'slength-wise direction for providing adjustability for different usersand their unique driving positions.

Known console sliding armrests generally include a sliding assemblywhich requires a user to push along the longitudinal direction of thearmrest (i.e. the vehicle's length-wise) to release the armrest from arest position and to continue the sliding movement to one of apredetermined number of locking positions particularly suited for theuser. In some armrest sliding assemblies, the sliding movement may becontrolled or otherwise facilitated by spring biasing means, knownexamples of which have thus far been relatively complicated in designand operation, and have also been unreliable during extended use.

One such known console sliding armrest is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,007,155 to Hara et al. ('155 Patent). Referring to FIG. 1 of the '155Patent, there is disclosed a guide assembly 100 for a retractablearmrest. Guide assembly 100 includes a slide assembly 130 and a biasingassembly 135 which includes first rail member 140 and first biasingmember 150. A second mirror-image biasing assembly 137 is provided onthe opposite side of slide assembly 130. In operation, a spring 154urges biasing member 150 against rail member 140 to thus urge member 140orthogonally towards slide assembly 130, thereby maintaining constantcontact between member 140 and slide assembly 130. According to the '155Patent, this feature eliminates the rattle between member 140 and slideassembly 130, (see discussion in Col. 3:1-10).

As readily evident from the illustration of FIG. 1 of the '155 Patent,the operation of the biasing assembly depends on smooth relative slidingof members 140, 150, and members 160, 170 of the opposite biasingassembly. Over time however, due to the eventual contamination ofassemblies 135, 137 from environmental and other factors, members 140,150 and 160, 170 tend to stick and/or slip, thus deviating from theintended operation of the biasing assemblies. Further, due to themultiple components required for proper operation of each biasingassembly 135, 137, use of such multiple biasing assemblies can beprohibitive both from a cost and reliability standpoint.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a console sliding armrest biasingassembly which includes fewer components for facilitating themanufacturing process. There also exists a need for an armrest biasingassembly in which the components are less susceptible to environmentalelements, and are therefore highly reliable for long-term use.

Other exemplary console sliding armrests are disclosed for example inU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,719,367 to Mic et al. and 6,244,648 to Gackstatter.Each of these armrest assemblies, which include unique sliding orbiasing mechanisms, are nevertheless particularly susceptible toenvironmental elements which hinder their long-term reliability, and arefurther susceptible to misalignment and/or malfunction due to themultiple components which must function together during the slidingoperation.

It would therefore be of benefit to provide a console sliding armrestwhich is stable in operation during both extension and retraction of thearmrest, and which includes a guiding system having a minimal number ofcomponents for securely guiding the armrest from both the longitudinaland lateral directions (i.e. the vehicle's length-wise and width-wisedirections) of the armrest. It would also be of benefit to provide aconsole sliding armrest which is easier and more economical tomanufacture, and which provides improved reliability for long-term useas compared to existing sliding armrest designs.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention thus solves the problems and overcomes thedrawbacks and deficiencies of prior art console sliding armrest designsby providing an improved console sliding armrest assembly including aguide assembly which enables efficient rattle-free sliding operation.

It is therefore an exemplary object of the present invention to providea console sliding armrest assembly which is less susceptible toenvironmental elements and is therefore reliable in its long-termoperation.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a consolesliding armrest assembly which provides adequate vertical support forthe armrest in both the extended and retracted positions.

The invention thus achieves the aforementioned exemplary objects byproviding a console sliding armrest assembly for a vehicle. The assemblymay include a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingressand egress of objects. A console lid may be pivotally connected to thestorage compartment for substantially covering the storage compartmentopening in a closed position and for otherwise allowing ingress andegress of objects in an open position. The console lid may include asliding armrest operatively engaged therewith and movable betweenextended and retracted positions. A guide assembly may be disposedsubstantially within the console lid for securely guiding the slidingarmrest between the extended and retracted positions. The guide assemblymay include a slider frame connected to the sliding armrest, and a guideplate connected to the console lid for providing vertical support andlateral stability to the sliding armrest. The guide assembly may furtherinclude a rail secured to the slider frame, with the rail being slidablyengaged with the guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement ofthe armrest between the extended and retracted positions. A spring maybe disposed between the slider frame and the rail. The spring may beengaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the railagainst the guide plate. The spring may thereby regulate tension betweenthe slider frame, the rail and the guide plate during movement of thesliding armrest.

For the console sliding armrest assembly described above, the rail mayinclude a substantially “C” shaped channel for receiving an end of theguide plate. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, theslider frame may include a substantially “C” shaped channel forreceiving the rail. The slider frame channel may thus define asubstantially sealed cavity for protecting the rail and the spring fromenvironmental elements. The rail may be made of Acetyl or other similarmaterials. A resilient arm may be connected adjacent a forward end ofthe console lid. The arm may include a detent engageable with one ormore catches on a secondary plate mounted adjacent to or otherwiseformed with the guide plate for limiting sliding movement of the armrestin the extended and retracted positions. The guide plate may also form ahinge arm for pivotally connecting the console lid to the storagecompartment.

The invention also provides a vehicle sliding armrest assembly includinga storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egressof objects, and a compartment lid pivotally connected to the storagecompartment and disposable between opened and closed positions. Thecompartment lid may include an armrest operatively engaged therewith andslidably movable between extended and retracted positions. A guideassembly may be disposed substantially within the compartment lid forsecurely guiding the armrest between the extended and retractedpositions. The guide assembly may include a slider frame connected tothe armrest, and a guide plate connected to the compartment lid forproviding vertical support and lateral stability to the armrest. Theguide assembly may further include a rail secured to the slider frame.The rail may be slidably engaged with the guide plate for therebyallowing sliding movement of the armrest between the extended andretracted positions. The guide assembly may also include biasing meansdisposed between the slider frame and the rail. The biasing means may beengaged to either the slider frame or the rail for biasing the railagainst the guide plate. The biasing means may thereby regulate tensionbetween the slider frame, the rail and the guide plate during slidingmovement of the armrest.

For the sliding armrest assembly described above, the rail may include asubstantially “C” shaped channel for receiving an end of the guideplate. The slider frame may include a substantially “C” shaped channelfor receiving the rail, with the channel defining a substantially sealedcavity for protecting the rail and the biasing means from environmentalelements. The biasing means may be a coil spring and/or a leaf spring,or other equivalent spring means. The assembly may further include aresilient arm connected adjacent a forward end of the compartment lid.The arm may include a detent engageable with one or more catches on asecondary plate mounted to or otherwise formed with the guide plate forlimiting sliding movement of the armrest in the extended and retractedpositions. The guide plate may also form a hinge arm for pivotallyconnecting the compartment lid to the storage compartment.

The invention yet further provides a method of securely guiding aconsole sliding armrest for a vehicle. The method may include the stepof pivotally connecting a console lid to a console storage compartment.The console lid may be disposable between opened and closed positionsfor allowing ingress and egress of objects from the storage compartment.The method may also include the steps of operatively engaging an armrestto the console lid, with the armrest being slidably movable betweenextended and retracted positions relative to the storage compartment,connecting a slider frame to the armrest, and connecting a guide plateto the console lid for vertical support and lateral stability of thearmrest. The method may further include the steps of securing a rail tothe slider frame, with the rail being slidably engaged with the guideplate for thereby allowing sliding movement of the armrest between theextended and retracted positions, and connecting a spring to either theslider frame or the rail for biasing the rail against the guide plate.The spring may thereby regulate tension between the slider frame, therail and the guide plate during sliding movement of the armrest.

For the method described above, the spring may be a coil spring and/or aleaf spring, or other equivalent spring structures. The method may alsoinclude the step of connecting a resilient arm adjacent a forward end ofthe console lid, with the arm including a detent engageable with one ormore catches on a secondary plate mounted to or otherwise formed withthe guide plate for limiting sliding movement of the armrest in theextended and retracted positions. The method may further include thesteps of engaging an end of the guide plate with a substantially “C”shaped channel in the rail, and disposing the rail in a substantially“C” shaped channel in the slider frame. The slider frame channel maydefine a substantially sealed cavity for protecting the rail and thespring from environmental elements. The spring may thus enableregulation of the sliding force required for guiding the armrest betweenthe extended and retracted positions. The force may be regulated tobetween approximately 6-13 N for sliding movement and less thanapproximately 23 N for initial movement of the armrest.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may beset forth or apparent from consideration of the following detaileddescription, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood thatboth the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and intended to provide further explanationwithout limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention and together with the detail description serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vehicle console sliding armrestassembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrest assemblyof FIG. 1, taken substantially along line 2-2 in FIG. 1, illustratingvarious internal features of the assembly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the console slidingarmrest assembly of FIG. 1, taken substantially along line 2-2 in FIG.1, illustrating a mechanism for limiting forward and aft slidingmovement of a sliding armrest;

FIG. 4 is another enlarged cross-sectional view of the console slidingarmrest assembly of FIG. 1, taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIG.1, illustrating various internal features of a guide assembly forguiding movement of the sliding armrest;

FIG. 5A is an enlarged isometric view of the console sliding armrestassembly of FIG. 1, with the sliding armrest and various featuresremoved for illustrating components of the guide assembly within theconsole lid;

FIG. 5B is an enlarged isometric view of a guide rail and springs forthe guide assembly of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrestassembly of FIG. 1, taken generally along line 2-2 in FIG. 1,illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of FIG. 4,and the console lid in a retracted position;

FIG. 6B is another side cross-sectional view of the console slidingarmrest assembly of FIG. 1, taken generally along line 2-2 in FIG. 1,illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of FIG. 4,and the console lid in an extended position; and

FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the console sliding armrestassembly of FIG. 1, taken generally along line 4-4 in FIG. 1,illustrating various internal features of the guide assembly of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer tolike and corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1-7illustrate a console sliding armrest assembly according to the presentinvention, generally designated sliding armrest assembly 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, sliding armrest assembly 10 may be mounted ona console 12 disposed centrally in a motor vehicle between a driver'sand passenger's front seats. As readily evident to those skilled in theart, console 12 and/or sliding armrest assembly 10 may be disposed atany desirable location in a motor vehicle, without departing from thescope of the present invention. Console 12 may include a base 14affixable to a vehicle frame (not shown), and other sub-componentsincluding cup-holders 16 and the like attached thereto. Other standardfeatures such as a storage compartment 18 and console lid 20 may beprovided, with lid 20 being pivotally mounted to compartment 18 andreleasable by means of a release lever 22, as discussed in furtherdetail below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, which illustrate cross-sectional views ofsliding armrest assembly 10, console lid 20 may be pivotally mounted at24 by means of a spring biased pivot connection. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 2 and 3, the pivot connection may include a standard torsionalspring 26 mounted on a pivot rod 28 for biasing lid 20 to an openposition. Further, as briefly discussed above, a release lever 22 may bemounted at 30 for enabling console lid 20 to be opened and closed as isknown in the art.

Turning next to FIGS. 4-7 (particularly FIG. 7), sliding armrestassembly 10 may include a guide assembly 32 for permitting sliding of anarmrest 21 operatively engaged with console lid 20, for sliding in thevehicle forward and aft directions. Guide assembly 32 may include aunitary slider frame 34 having mirror-image “C” shaped channels 36 whichfrictionally retain guide rails 38 therein. Channels 36 may be formed onframe ends 40 which include oblique angle supports 42 and verticalsupports 44 for providing vertical support in the event of downwardspressure placed on console lid 20 by a user. Vertical supports 44 mayfurther bear against horizontal support plate 46, the edges 48, 50 ofwhich are disposed within areas 52, 54 of compartment walls 56, 57. Inthis manner, console lid 20 may be supported by the structure ofcompartment 18. Further, the material adjacent areas 52, 54 may beresilient for engaging edges 48, 50 and thus sealingly enclosing thecontents of the compartment.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5A and 7, guide assembly 32 may further include aguide plate 58 fixedly mounted to support plate 46 by means of supportcolumns 60, which in the particular embodiment of FIG. 7 are screwbosses. Plate 58 may include a secondary plate 62 attached thereto orformed therewith for providing additional rigidity to the overallstructure of the guide assembly, especially from lateral forces appliedto console lid 20 (and armrest 21), and for further limiting forward andaft movement of the armrest as discussed in greater detail below.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 7, guide rails 38, which are engaged andretained in channels 36 of frame 34, may include complementary slots 64for sliding engagement with ends 66, 68 of guide plate 58. In thismanner, guide rails 38 and frame 34 move as a unit relative tostationary guide plate 58 and support plate 46 for permitting slidingmovement of armrest 21 relative to storage compartment 18. In theembodiment shown, rails 38 may be formed of Acetyl or the like forpermitting smooth and efficient sliding of ends 66, 68 of guide plate 58relative to the rails.

Referring to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 7, in order to maintain the alignment ofrails 38 relative to frame 34 and guide plate 58, and to further requirea user to exert a predetermined force for movement of armrest 21, leafsprings 70 may be mounted to outer wall 74 of each rail 38 and disposedin engagement with inner wall 72 of each channel 36. In the particularembodiment illustrated, three leaf springs may be mounted bypress-fitting onto rails 38, one spring adjacent each outer-most end ofthe rail and a third spring disposed generally centrally along the rail.As shown in FIG. 5B, the springs may be snap-fitted by means of posts71A-71C, with the central post 71B including a gap 73 for permittingpress-fitting of the spring, and posts 71A and 71C being provided formaintaining proper alignment of the spring. Springs 70 may be formed ofa mirror-image curved profile as shown such that the opposing leafs ofthe spring each exert a uniform force on the inner wall 72 of eachchannel 36. In this manner, rails 38 may be maintained at apredetermined orientation and with a predetermined frictional engagementforce relative to ends 66, 68 of guide plate 58. As mentioned above, theuse of springs 70 also prevents inadvertent misalignment of rails 38within channels 36. While in the exemplary embodiment shown, rails 38are maintained in the predetermined alignment by leaf springs 70, thoseskilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure thatother biasing means, such as a coil spring or other resilient materialmay be used instead of or in addition to leaf springs 70 withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. Further, instead ofbeing connected to rails 38, the springs may be likewise connected toinner wall 72 of each channel 36 for biasing the rails as discussedabove.

Referring next to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B, in order to positively limitsliding movement of armrest 21 in the vehicle aft direction, each rail38 may be configured to include a stop 76 adjacent a front end thereoffor engagement with edge 78 of guide plate 58. In order to limitmovement of armrest 21 in the vehicle forward direction, a resilient arm80 may be attached to front end-piece 75 of armrest 21 and include asemi-spherical detent 82 disposable within a complementary catch 84formed in secondary plate 62. In this manner, a user may apply a force“F” in the vehicle forward direction on the surface of armrest 21 torelease detent 82 from catch 84 until the detent engages with forwardcatch 88, which also includes a raised end-portion 90 for preventingfurther forward movement of armrest 21. Those skilled in the art wouldappreciate in view of this disclosure that a plurality of catches may beprovided on secondary plate 62 for providing predetermined intervals atwhich armrest 21 may be maintained for different users.

Referring to FIGS. 5A, 6A, 6B and 7, in order to minimize the number ofcomponents for sliding armrest assembly 10, guide plate 58 may include abent portion 92 for integration into the pivot connection for consolelid 20. In this manner, the guide plate serves multiple purposes, thefirst of providing a structure relative to which armrest 21 can slide,the second of providing a structure for supporting lid 20 duringpivoting thereof, and the third of providing a structure for supportingarmrest 21 in the extended and retracted positions of FIGS. 6B, 6A,respectively.

Referring next to FIGS. 1, 6A and 6B, in a particular embodiment ofsliding armrest assembly 10, arm 80 and catch members 84, 88 may bedimensioned and spaced such that armrest 21 slides approximately 98 mm(i.e. approximately 4 inches) from the retracted position of FIG. 6A tothe extended position of FIG. 6B. It has been determined that a 98 mmrange of forward movement allows armrest 21 to be ergonomicallyadaptable to approximately 80% of users. Further, referring to FIGS. 1,6A, 6B and 7, the tension in arm 80 and springs 70 may be preset suchthat a user is required to exert a forward force of approximately 23Newtons on armrest 21 to disengage detent 82 from catch 84, and isfurther required to maintain a forward force of approximately 6-13Newtons for armrest movement between catch members 84, 88. The notedexemplary force ranges prevent inadvertent release and sliding ofarmrest 21, while also providing a user with sufficient ergonomiccomfort in sliding the armrest as needed. As discussed above, the notedexemplary force ranges are regulated by means of springs 70. Of course,those skilled in the art would readily appreciate in view of thisdisclosure that the exemplary distance between adjacent catch members84, 88, the length of arm 80, as well as the tension generated by arm 80and springs 70 may be adjusted as needed to change the range of movementof armrest 21 and the effort needed by a user to initiate and maintainthe movement.

Thus to summarize, the present invention sliding armrest assembly 10provides a guide assembly which enables efficient rattle-free slidingoperation of the armrest. The sliding armrest assembly is also lesssusceptible to environmental elements, is easier and more economical tomanufacture, and is highly reliable for long-term use as compared toexisting sliding armrest designs.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described indetail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to those particularembodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effectedtherein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope orspirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A console sliding armrest assembly for a vehicle, said assemblycomprising: a storage compartment having an opening for allowing ingressand egress of objects; a console lid pivotally connected to said storagecompartment for substantially covering said storage compartment openingin a closed position and for otherwise allowing ingress and egress ofobjects in an open position, said console lid including a slidingarmrest operatively engaged therewith and movable between extended andretracted positions; and a guide assembly disposed substantially withinsaid console lid, said guide assembly securely guiding said slidingarmrest between said extended and retracted positions, and including: aslider frame connected to said sliding armrest; a guide plate connectedto said console lid for providing vertical support and lateral stabilityto said sliding armrest; at least one rail secured to said slider frame,said rail being slidably engaged with said guide plate for therebyallowing sliding movement of said armrest between said extended andretracted positions; and at least one spring disposed between saidslider frame and said rail, said spring being engaged to either saidslider frame or said rail for biasing said rail against said guideplate, said spring thereby regulating tension between said slider frame,said rail and said guide plate during movement of said sliding armrest.2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said rail includes asubstantially “C” shaped channel for receiving an end of said guideplate.
 3. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said slider frameincludes at least one substantially “C” shaped channel for receivingsaid rail, said channel defines a substantially sealed cavity forprotecting said rail and said spring from environmental elements.
 4. Anassembly according to claim 1, wherein said rail is made of Acetyl. 5.An assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a resilient armconnected adjacent a forward end of said console lid, said arm includinga detent engageable with at least one catch on a secondary plate mountedto or formed with said guide plate for limiting sliding movement of saidarmrest in said extended and retracted positions.
 6. An assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein said guide plate forms a hinge arm forpivotally connecting said console lid to said storage compartment.
 7. Asliding armrest assembly for a vehicle, said assembly comprising: astorage compartment having an opening for allowing ingress and egress ofobjects; a compartment lid pivotally connected to said storagecompartment and disposable between opened and closed positions, saidcompartment lid including an armrest operatively engaged therewith andslidably movable between extended and retracted positions; and a guideassembly disposed substantially within said compartment lid, said guideassembly securely guiding said armrest between said extended andretracted positions, and including: a slider frame connected to saidarmrest; a guide plate connected to said compartment lid for providingvertical support and lateral stability to said armrest; at least onerail secured to said slider frame, said rail being slidably engaged withsaid guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement of said armrestbetween said extended and retracted positions; and at least one biasingmeans disposed between said slider frame and said rail, said biasingmeans being engaged to either said slider frame or said rail for biasingsaid rail against said guide plate, said biasing means therebyregulating tension between said slider frame, said rail and said guideplate during sliding movement of said armrest.
 8. An assembly accordingto claim 7, wherein said rail includes a substantially “C” shapedchannel for receiving an end of said guide plate.
 9. An assemblyaccording to claim 7, wherein said slider frame includes at least onesubstantially “C” shaped channel for receiving said rail, said channeldefines a substantially sealed cavity for protecting said rail and saidbiasing means from environmental elements.
 10. An assembly according toclaim 7, wherein said rail is made of Acetyl.
 11. An assembly accordingto claim 7, wherein said biasing means is at least one of a coil springand a leaf spring.
 12. An assembly according to claim 7, furthercomprising a resilient arm connected adjacent a forward end of saidcompartment lid, said arm including a detent engageable with at leastone catch on a secondary plate mounted to or formed with said guideplate for limiting sliding movement of said armrest in said extended andretracted positions.
 13. An assembly according to claim 7, wherein saidguide plate forms a hinge arm for pivotally connecting said compartmentlid to said storage compartment.
 14. A method of securely guiding aconsole sliding armrest for a vehicle, said method comprising the stepsof: pivotally connecting a console lid to a console storage compartment,said console lid being disposable between opened and closed positionsfor allowing ingress and egress of objects from said storagecompartment; operatively engaging an armrest to said console lid, saidarmrest being slidably movable between extended and retracted positionsrelative to said storage compartment; connecting a slider frame to saidarmrest; connecting a guide plate to said console lid for providingvertical support and lateral stability to said armrest; securing atleast one rail to said slider frame, said rail being slidably engagedwith said guide plate for thereby allowing sliding movement of saidarmrest between said extended and retracted positions; connecting aspring to either said slider frame or said rail for biasing said railagainst said guide plate, said spring thereby regulating tension betweensaid slider frame, said rail and said guide plate during slidingmovement of said armrest; and guiding said armrest between said extendedand retracted positions.
 15. A method according to claim 14, whereinsaid spring is at least one of a coil spring and a leaf spring.
 16. Amethod according to claim 14, further comprising the step of connectinga resilient arm adjacent a forward end of said console lid, said armincluding a detent engageable with at least one catch on a secondaryplate mounted to or formed with said guide plate for limiting slidingmovement of said armrest in said extended and retracted positions.
 17. Amethod according to claim 14, further comprising the step of engaging anend of said guide plate with a substantially “C” shaped channel in saidrail.
 18. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step ofdisposing said rail in a substantially “C” shaped channel in said sliderframe, said channel defining a substantially sealed cavity forprotecting said rail and said spring from environmental elements.
 19. Amethod according to claim 14, wherein said rail is made of Acetyl.
 20. Amethod according to claim 14, wherein said spring enables regulation ofsliding force required for guiding said armrest between said extendedand retracted positions, said force being regulated to betweenapproximately 6-13 N for sliding movement and less than approximately 23N for initial movement of said armrest.